Product Review: Solar Powered USB Charger

I've mentioned in a previous post about the concerns I'd had around keeping myself occupied on my trip to Pakistan. Usually I take my iPod (no, I don't own an iPhone!) when I go travelling as it compact and  contains music, games, videos and spoken books which can keep me occupied for hours.  It seemed like the ideal thing to bring, but there was one teeny tiny little catch - we didn't have access to electricity for 17 days of the trek and once the battery went flat it would be dead weight.  It seemed like the most logical and weight efficient option, but for that small catch of what to do once the battery had run out!

Dressing Appropriately (or Not) in Pakistan

Photo from Doug K of Sky
all rights reserved

The slutwalk movement began in April 2011 when a Toronto police officer suggested that to remain safe "women should avoid dressing like sluts^1" and even as recently as 4 days ago an official in Jakarta said a similar thing². I have mixed feelings on this matter.  On the one hand I agree that no woman "asks for it", but on the other I have wondered what some women were thinking based on how they were dressed.  And when you add "what is culturally acceptable" into the mix what is appropriate to wear becomes a very subjective question.

Accident on Baltoro

How do you describe a trek through one of the more remote places on earth for 13 days; seeing the worlds 2nd highest mountain and 48 hours driving on a road that has been referred to as the 9th wonder of the world?  Awesome, amazing, awe-inspiring, an experience?  How would the description change if during the above experience 3 people died and another 2 were seriously injured?

Quick Update

It has been a while - I know.  I've been travelling in Pakistan and Indonesia for the past 6 weeks and its taken a  little while to get used to staying in the same place (and organising photo's and writing the posts - which is happening so watch this space...)  In the meanwhile, please enjoy some pictures from the amazing views that we experienced on our trek up the Baltoro Glacier in Pakistan.

View of K2 at sunrise from Concordia